The 2001–02 season was Manchester United's tenth season in the Premier League and their 27th consecutive season in the top division of English football.[1] The second full season of the new millennium was rather dismal for the Red Devils in comparison to the previous three years. The club finished in third place in the Premier League, their lowest finish in the history of the Premier League, and they were knocked out of the FA Cup in the fourth round. League Cup success was not expected, and the club duly obliged by playing what was effectively a reserve team against a strong Arsenal side in the third round. United's best success in the 2001–02 season came in the UEFA Champions League, in which they reached the semi-finals before being knocked out by Bayer Leverkusen on away goals. Ultimately, United's failure to win anything boiled down a dismal run of form in November and early December when they suffered five defeats in seven league games, including three defeats in a row against Arsenal, Chelsea and West Ham United in December. They also lost six home games in the Premier League, their worst home record since the 1977–78 season. They only lost three more league games all season, but that terrible form earlier in the campaign counted against United for the rest of the campaign and they finished 10 points behind champions Arsenal (who sealed their crown by beating United 1–0 at Old Trafford in the penultimate game of the season) and three points behind runners-up Liverpool.

Before the season began, Sir Alex Ferguson had announced his intention to retire from football at the end of the season, and the club began the process of trying to find a successor for the most successful manager in their history. However, Fergie went back on his decision to retire, many people citing his failure to win the Champions League in his home town of Glasgow as the reason for this reversal.

Assistant manager Steve McClaren left the club before the start of the season to become the manager of Middlesbrough. Youth team coach and former player Mike Phelan was promoted to first-team coach and took over some of the assistant manager's responsibilities, but McClaren was not replaced until the summer of 2002, when Carlos Queiroz was appointed the new assistant manager.

Winger Ryan Giggs was honoured with a testimonial match against Celtic, having now been at United for more than a decade.

£19 million striker Ruud van Nistelrooy did what was expected of him by scoring 36 goals in all competitions and collecting the PFA Player of the Year award, but £28.1 million national record signing Juan Sebastián Verón was a major disappointment in midfield, though it was in defence where United were at their weakest following the shock departure of Jaap Stam to Lazio just after the start of the season, and the surprise acquisition of 35-year-old FrenchmanLaurent Blanc as his successor.

Arriving in the summer transfer window were Northern Irish goalkeeper Roy Carroll, Dutch forward Ruud van Nistelrooy, Argentinian midfielder Juan Sebastián Verón and French defender Laurent Blanc. Out of these players, only van Nistelrooy made much of an impact, staying at United until 2006 and scoring 150 goals in 219 appearances for United.

1.
Manchester United F.C.
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Manchester United Football Club is a professional football club based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. Nicknamed the Red Devils, the club was founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to its current stadium, Old Trafford, in 1910. Manchester United have won a record 20 League Titles, a joint-record 12 FA Cups,5 League Cups, the club has also won three European Cups, one UEFA Cup Winners Cup, one UEFA Super Cup, one Intercontinental Cup and one FIFA Club World Cup. In 1998–99, the became the first in the history of English football to achieve the treble of the Premier League, the FA Cup. The 1958 Munich air disaster claimed the lives of eight players, in 1968, under the management of Matt Busby, Manchester United became the first English football club to win the European Cup. Alex Ferguson won 38 trophies, including 13 Premier League titles,5 FA Cups and 2 UEFA Champions Leagues, José Mourinho is the clubs current manager, having been appointed on 27 May 2016. As of June 2015, it is the worlds most valuable football brand and it is one of the most widely supported football teams in the world. In August 2012, Manchester United made a public offering on the New York Stock Exchange. The club holds several rivalries, most notably with Liverpool, Manchester City and Leeds United, Manchester United was formed in 1878 as Newton Heath LYR Football Club by the Carriage and Wagon department of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot at Newton Heath. By 1888, the club had become a member of The Combination. Following the leagues dissolution after only one season, Newton Heath joined the newly formed Football Alliance and this resulted in the club starting the 1892–93 season in the First Division, by which time it had become independent of the railway company and dropped the LYR from its name. After two seasons, the club was relegated to the Second Division, in January 1902, with debts of £2,670 – equivalent to £260,000 in 2017 – the club was served with a winding-up order. The following season began with victory in the first ever Charity Shield, Manchester United won the First Division for the second time in 1911, but at the end of the following season, Mangnall left the club to join Manchester City. In 1922, three years after the resumption of football following the First World War, the club was relegated to the Second Division, relegated again in 1931, Manchester United became a yo-yo club, achieving its all-time lowest position of 20th place in the Second Division in 1934. Gibson, who, in December 1931, invested £2,000, in the 1938–39 season, the last year of football before the Second World War, the club finished 14th in the First Division. Busby led the team to second-place league finishes in 1947,1948 and 1949, in 1952, the club won the First Division, its first league title for 41 years. With an average age of 22, the title winning side of 1956 were labelled the Busby Babes by the media. In 1957, Manchester United became the first English team to compete in the European Cup, despite objections from The Football League, who had denied Chelsea the same opportunity the previous season

2.
Alex Ferguson
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Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson, CBE is a former Scottish football manager and player who managed Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. He is regarded by players, managers and analysts to be the greatest and most successful manager of all time. Ferguson played as a forward for several Scottish clubs, including Dunfermline Athletic, while playing for Dunfermline, he was the top goalscorer in the Scottish league in the 1965–66 season. Towards the end of his career he also worked as a coach, then started his managerial career with East Stirlingshire. Ferguson then enjoyed a successful period as manager of Aberdeen. He briefly managed Scotland following the death of Jock Stein, taking the team to the 1986 World Cup. Ferguson was appointed manager of Manchester United in November 1986. During his 26 years with Manchester United he won 38 trophies, including 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups and he was knighted in the 1999 Queens Birthday Honours list, for his services to the game. Ferguson is the longest serving manager of Manchester United, having overtaken Sir Matt Busbys record on 19 December 2010 and he retired from management at the end of the 2012–13 season, having won the Premier League in his final season. He attended Broomloan Road Primary School and later Govan High School, Fergusons playing career began as an amateur with Queens Park, where he made his debut as a striker aged 16. He described his first match as a nightmare, but scored Queens Parks goal in a 2–1 defeat against Stranraer. Perhaps his most notable game for Queens Park was the 7–1 defeat away to Queen of the South on Boxing Day 1959 when ex-England international Ivor Broadis scored four of the Queen of the South goals, Ferguson was the solitary Queens Park goalscorer. Despite scoring 20 goals in his 31 games for Queens Park, he could not command a regular place in the side, although he continued to score regularly at St Johnstone, he was still unable to command a regular place and regularly requested transfers. Dunfermline signed him the summer, and Ferguson became a full-time professional footballer. Dunfermline lost the final 3–2 to Celtic, then failed to win the League by one point, the 1965–66 season saw Ferguson notch up 45 goals in 51 games for Dunfermline. Along with Joe McBride of Celtic, he was the top goalscorer in the Scottish League with 31 goals and he then joined Rangers for £65,000, then a record fee for a transfer between two Scottish clubs. According to his brother, Ferguson was so upset by the experience that he threw his losers medal away, the following October, Nottingham Forest wanted to sign Ferguson, but his wife was not keen on moving to England at that time so he went to Falkirk instead. Fergusons time at Falkirk was soured by this and he responded by requesting a transfer and moved to Ayr United, in June 1974, Ferguson was appointed manager of East Stirlingshire, at the comparatively young age of 32. It was a job that paid £40 per week

3.
2001 FA Charity Shield
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The 2001 FA Charity Shield was the 79th FA Charity Shield, an annual football match played between the winners of the previous seasons Premier League and FA Cup. The match was contested between Liverpool, winners of the 2000–01 FA Cup and Manchester United, who won the 2000–01 Premier League on 12 August 2001 and it was the first Shield match to be held at the Millennium Stadium following the closure of Wembley Stadium for reconstruction. This was Liverpools 19th appearance and Manchester Uniteds 21st and the 5th time they had met in the competition, the anticipated meeting of Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard and new Manchester United signing Juan Sebastián Verón did not occur. Another omission from the Liverpool team was striker Robbie Fowler, who was out of the matchday squad. Watched by a crowd of 70,027 spectators, Liverpool took the lead in the second minute when Gary McAllister scored from a kick after a foul on Danny Murphy by Roy Keane. Liverpool extended their lead in the 16th minute when striker Michael Owen scored, Manchester United scored in the second half through Van Nistelrooy but were unable to find the equalising goal in the remaining minutes. Thus, Liverpool won the match 2–1 to win the Shield for the 14th time, despite the victory, Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier was realistic about his teams prospects in the upcoming 2001–02 FA Premier League. Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was critical of referee Andy DUrsos performance after he turned down two penalty appeals from his side during the match, Liverpools victory marked their 14th success, while the match was Uniteds fourth consecutive loss in the competition. In 1921, it was played by the champions of the top division. Wembley Stadium acted as the host of the Shield from 1974, cardiffs Millennium Stadium was hosting the Shield for the first time, it took over as the venue for the event while the new Wembley Stadium underwent a six-year renovation between 2001 and 2006. Liverpool qualified for the Charity Shield by winning the 2000–01 FA Cup and they beat Arsenal 2–1 in the final, courtesy of two goals from Michael Owen after Fredrik Ljungberg had given Arsenal the lead. Manchester United qualified by way of winning the 2000–01 FA Premier League and they finished 10 points clear of second placed Arsenal. Liverpool were appearing in their 19th match in the competition and they had won seven outright, shared five and lost five. This was Manchester Uniteds 21st appearance in the competition, they had won 10, shared four, Liverpool and United had previously contested the Shield four times, with United winning in 1983 and the Shield being shared on the other three occasions in 1965,1977 and 1990. Before the match, the decision was taken to close the roof on the Millennium Stadium, Liverpool lined up in a 4–4–2 formation, with new signing John Arne Riise included in the team, while midfielder Steven Gerrard was absent with an ankle injury. There was also no place for striker Robbie Fowler, who was expected to captain the side, Manchester United lined up in a 4–4–1–1 formation, with Paul Scholes playing just off the main striker, Ruud van Nistelrooy, who made his debut for the club. Van Nistelrooys fellow new signing, Juan Sebastián Verón, was on duty with the Argentina national team. Manchester United kicked off the match, but within the first two minutes they had conceded a goal, a foul on Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy by United captain Roy Keane resulted in a Liverpool penalty, which Gary McAllister subsequently scored to give Liverpool a 1–0 lead

4.
Ruud van Nistelrooy
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Rutgerus Johannes Martinus Ruud van Nistelrooy is a retired Dutch footballer and a current manager for the PSV youth team. A former striker, he is the fourth-highest goalscorer in UEFA Champions League history with 56 goals and he is a three-time Champions League top scorer, as well as a top scorer in three different European domestic leagues. Van Nistelrooy began his career with Den Bosch, before moving onto Heerenveen, eventually making a name for himself at PSV, where he won two Eredivisie titles. His time at United was successful, winning the Premier League, FA Cup, Football League Cup and FA Community Shield, along with winning the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year twice. Van Nistelrooy hit 150 goals in just 219 games for United, as well as becoming, at the time, their all time European record goalscorer, Real Madrid then secured his services in 2006. Although an injury blighted the end of his days with Madrid, he did win La Liga twice, after one-and-a-half seasons with Hamburg, he moved back to Spain with Málaga in the summer of 2011. His retirement from football was announced on 14 May 2012, after netting 12 goals in 31 games in the 1996–97 campaign, he transferred for €360,000 to Heerenveen the next year, and scored 13 goals in 31 matches in his only season with the club. He was then signed by PSV the next season for €6.3 million, Van Nistelrooy capped off the year by winning the Dutch Player of the Year award. The following season, he won his second Eredivisie scoring title with 29 goals, Ferguson sent team representatives to PSVs next league game and signed Van Nistelrooy the next day. Van Nistelrooy looked set to complete a club record £18.5 million transfer to Manchester United in the summer of 2000, a year later, Van Nistelrooy signed a five-year contract after passing his medical. He downplayed Uniteds £19 million investment to reporters, saying, The price is not heavy for me – it lifts me up because it means United have big confidence in me, Van Nistelrooy made his debut in the Charity Shield against Liverpool, scoring in a 2–1 loss. On 19 August, Van Nistelrooy made his Premier League debut against Fulham at Old Trafford and he scored his first Champions League goals on 17 October in a 3–2 loss to Deportivo de La Coruña. On 22 December, Van Nistelrooy scored his first Premier League hat-trick in a 6–1 win against Southampton, in total during his first season, Van Nistelrooy scored 23 goals in 32 league games. He broke the record he shared with Mark Stein, Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry and he also scored 10 Champions League goals, and was named the PFA Players Player of the Year. The following season, he finished as the top Premier League scorer with 25 goals in 34 games and his tally included three hat-tricks against Newcastle United, Fulham, and Charlton Athletic. He also scored in each of the eight games of the season as United won the title. Van Nistelrooy won the Premier League Player of the Season in 2003 and he was accredited with spearheading the title win for United with a goal tally that was described as astonishing. After scoring 12 Champions League goals, he was named by UEFA as the best striker in Europe, Van Nistelrooy started the 2003–04 season by scoring twice in his first two league matches

5.
Middlesbrough F.C.
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Middlesbrough Football Club is a professional association football club based in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since 1995 and they played at the Linthorpe Road ground from 1882 to 1903 and at Ayresome Park for 92 years, from 1903 to 1995. They were one of the members of the Premier League in 1992. The clubs main rivals are Sunderland and Newcastle United, there is also a rivalry with fellow Yorkshire club Leeds United. The clubs highest league finish to date was third in the 1913–14 season, the club came close to folding in 1986 after experiencing severe financial difficulties before it was saved by a consortium led by then board member and later chairman Steve Gibson. Middlesbrough were deducted three points for failing to fulfil a fixture against Blackburn Rovers in the 1996–97 Premier League season and they were promoted the following season and spent 11 seasons in the top division before being relegated again in 2009. Middlesbrough won the League Cup in 2004, the clubs first and they reached the 2006 UEFA Cup Final, but were beaten by Spanish side Sevilla. After seven years in the Championship, Middlesbrough secured promotion to the Premier League in 2016 after finishing in second place, the clubs traditional kit is red with white detailing. The various crests throughout the history, the most recent of which was adopted in 2007. They won the FA Amateur Cup in 1895 and again in 1898, the club turned professional in 1889, but reverted to amateur status in 1892. They turned professional permanently in 1899, after three seasons, they won promotion to the First Division, where they would remain for the next 22 years. In 1903, the moved to Ayresome Park, their home for the next 92 years. In 1905, the club sanctioned the transfer of Alf Common for £1,000, over the next few years, their form fluctuated greatly, rising to sixth in 1907–08 before dropping to 17th two seasons later. The club rose to their highest league finish to date, third, World War I soon intervened and football was suspended. Before league football resumed, Middlesbrough won the Northern Victory League and they remained in the First Division for the next few seasons, but were relegated in 1923–24 after finishing bottom, ten points adrift of their nearest rivals. Three seasons later, they won the Division Two title, during that season, debutant George Camsell, who had signed from Third Division North side Durham City the previous season, finished with a record 59 league goals, which included nine hat-tricks. He would continue as top scorer for each of the ten seasons. Their tenure back in the top flight lasted one season

6.
Lille OSC
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LOSC Lille is a French association football club based in Lille. The club was founded in 1944 as a result of a merger and currently play in Ligue 1, Lille has played its home matches since 2012 at Stade Pierre-Mauroy in nearby Villeneuve dAscq, which replaced the clubs previous home of Stade Lille-Metropole in the same community. The team is captained by French international Rio Mavuba, Lille was founded as a result of a merger between Olympique Lillois and SC Fives. Both clubs were founding members of the French Division 1 and Lillois was the inaugural champions. Under the Lille emblem, the club has won three titles in 1946,1954, and 2011 and six Coupe de France titles. Lille and Red Star FC are the only French clubs in the history to win the Coupe de France in three consecutive seasons. Lilles most successful period was the decade from 1946 to 1956 when the team was led by managers George Berry, Lille have a long-standing rivalry with its neighbours RC Lens. The two clubs regularly contest the Derby du Nord, Lille is presided over by Gérard Lopez, an entrepreneur-investor and an active Luxembourgish-Spanish businessman that invests in the sports industry. Before the Second World War, the city of Lille had two clubs in Ligue 1, Olympique Lillois and Sporting Club Fivois, weakened by the war, the two clubs decided to merge in the autumn of 1944, giving birth to Lille Olympique Sporting Club. Within its first decade of existence, the new club won two titles and reached the second place for four consecutive seasons. In the Coupe de France the club accumulated five wins in seven finals, the final of the Latin Cup was also reached. Lille was relegated for the first time in 1956, the club became a mid-table side and in the late 1960s, after a long period of anonymity, and weighed down by a lack of facilities and resources, Lille abandoned its professional status. It was feared that the club might disappear, however, some young leaders, such as Max Pommerolle, came and gave new impetus to the club. Nevertheless, the results remained erratic and the titles that ignited the fans passions were won in the Second Division. In July 1980, Lille was the first French club to opt for the status of a Mixed Economy Company, the team of presidents Amyot, Deschot and Dewailly all struggled to compete with the top teams in the country. Jacques Amyots resignation in 1990 led to three more years for the club which compromised its very existence. It took Bernard Lecomtes arrival in 1993 to set the club finances on the road to recovery, after a final relegation in 1997, the team trained by Bosnian coach Vahid Halilhodžić was soon promoted back to the elite, in the same year the French Football League was privatised. In just its first season back in the top flight 2000–01 French Division 1, Lille qualified for Europe for the first time in the clubs history, booking its place in the 2000–01 Champions League

7.
Kit (association football)
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In association football, kit is the standard equipment and attire worn by players. The sports Laws of the Game specify the minimum kit which a player must use, footballers generally wear identifying numbers on the backs of their shirts. Professional clubs also usually display players surnames or nicknames on their shirts, Football kit has evolved significantly since the early days of the sport when players typically wore thick cotton shirts, knickerbockers and heavy rigid leather boots. The Laws of the Game set out the equipment which must be worn by all players in Law 4. Five separate items are specified, shirt, shorts, socks, footwear, goalkeepers are allowed to wear tracksuit bottoms instead of shorts. While most players wear studded football boots, the Laws do not specify that these are required, shirts must have sleeves, and goalkeepers must wear shirts which are easily distinguishable from all other players and the match officials. Thermal undershorts may be worn, but must be the colour as the shorts themselves. Shin pads must be covered entirely by the stockings, be made of rubber, plastic or a similar material, and provide a reasonable degree of protection. The only other restriction on equipment defined in the Laws of the Game is the requirement that a player must not use equipment or wear anything that is dangerous to himself or another player. In the event of a match between teams who would wear identical or similar colours the away team must change to a different colour. The England national team plays in red shirts even when it is not required. Many professional clubs also have a kit, ostensibly to be used if both their first-choice and away colours are deemed too similar to those of an opponent. Most professional clubs have retained the basic colour scheme for several decades. Teams representing countries in international competition generally wear national colours in common with other sporting teams of the same nation, shirts are normally made of a polyester mesh, which does not trap the sweat and body heat in the same way as a shirt made of a natural fibre. Depending on local rules, there may be restrictions on how large these logos may be or on what logos may be displayed, competitions such as the Premier League may also require players to wear patches on their sleeves depicting the logo of the competition. The captain of team is usually required to wear an elasticated armband around the left sleeve to identify him as the captain to the referee. Most current players wear specialist football boots, which can be either of leather or a synthetic material. Modern boots are cut slightly below the ankles, as opposed to the high-ankled boots used in former times, studs may be either moulded directly to the sole or be detachable, normally by means of a screw thread

8.
Premier League
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The Premier League is an English professional league for mens association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football League, Welsh clubs that compete in the English football league system can also qualify. The Premier League is a corporation in which the 20 member clubs act as shareholders, seasons run from August to May. Teams play 38 matches each, totalling 380 matches in the season, most games are played on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, others during weekday evenings. It is colloquially known as the Premiership and outside the UK it is referred to as the English Premier League. The deal was worth £1 billion a year domestically as of 2013–14, with BSkyB, the league generates €2.2 billion per year in domestic and international television rights. In 2014/15, teams were apportioned revenues of £1.6 billion, the Premier League is the most-watched sports league in the world, broadcast in 212 territories to 643 million homes and a potential TV audience of 4.7 billion people. In the 2014–15 season, the average Premier League match attendance exceeded 36,000, most stadium occupancies are near capacity. The Premier League ranks third in the UEFA coefficients of leagues based on performances in European competitions over the past five seasons. While 47 clubs have competed since the inception of the Premier League in 1992, only six have won the title, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, Blackburn Rovers, the current champions are Leicester City, who won the title in 2015–16. Despite significant European success in the 1970s and early 1980s, the late 80s marked a low point for English football, the 1988 negotiations were the first signs of a breakaway league, ten clubs threatened to leave and form a super league, but were eventually persuaded to stay. As stadiums improved and match attendance and revenues rose, the top teams again considered leaving the Football League in order to capitalise on the influx of money into the sport. At the close of the 1991 season, a proposal was tabled for the establishment of a new league that would bring money into the game overall. The Founder Members Agreement, signed on 17 July 1991 by the games top-flight clubs, the argument given at the time was that the extra income would allow English clubs to compete with teams across Europe. The managing director of London Weekend Television, Greg Dyke, met with the representatives of the big five clubs in England in 1990. The meeting was to pave the way for an away from The Football League. The FA did not enjoy a relationship with the Football League at the time

9.
Football in England
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Today Englands top domestic league, the Premier League, is one of the most popular and richest sports leagues in the world, with six of the ten richest football clubs in the world. The England national football team is one of only 8 teams to win the World Cup, a total of five English club teams have won the UEFA Champions League. Football was played in England as far back as medieval times, kicking ball games are described in England from 1280. An account of an exclusively kicking game from Nottinghamshire in the fifteenth century bears similarity to association football. By the 16th centuries references to organised teams and goals had appeared, there is evidence for refereed, team football games being played in English schools since at least 1581. The eighteenth-century Gymnastic Society of London is, arguably, the worlds first football club, the Cambridge rules, first drawn up at Cambridge University in 1848, were particularly influential in the development of subsequent codes, including association football. The Cambridge Rules were written at Trinity College, Cambridge, at a meeting attended by representatives from Eton, Harrow, Rugby, Winchester, during the 1850s, many clubs unconnected to schools or universities were formed throughout the English-speaking world, to play various forms of football. In 1862, John Charles Thring of Uppingham School also devised a set of rules. These ongoing efforts contributed to the formation of The Football Association in 1863, the Sheffield FA played by its own rules until the 1870s with the FA absorbing some of its rules until there was little difference between the games. A match between Sheffield and Hallam F. C. on 29 December 1862 was one of the first matches to be recorded in a newspaper, on 8 March 1873, the England national teams 4–2 win over Scotland at the Oval was the first ever victory in international football. The late nineteenth century was dominated by the split between the amateur and professional teams, which was roughly aligned along a North-South divide. Northern clubs were keen to adopt professionalism as workers could not afford to play on an amateur basis, preston North End were inaugural winners in 1888–89, and were also the first club to complete the double of both winning the league and the FA Cup. Aston Villa repeated the feat in 1896–97 and it remained at 40 until the league was suspended after the 1914–15 season with the outbreak of World War I. Other clubs to win titles in this period include Sheffield United, Manchester United. During the war, competitive football was suspended, however, an unofficial Wartime Football league was played from 1915–16 to 1918–19, although the FA Cup was suspended until after the war. The next season the league was expanded with the Third Division divided into North and South sections. In the 1923–24 season the Third Division North was expanded to 22 clubs, Bolton Wanderers defeated West Ham United to win this landmark game. Bolton Wanderers would win the FA Cup on three occasions during the 1920s, by the turn of the 1930s, the national side regularly played against other national teams from outside the British Isles

10.
FA Cup
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The FA Cup, known officially as The Football Association Challenge Cup, is an annual knockout association football competition in mens domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest association football competition in the world and it is organised by and named after The Football Association. For sponsorship reasons, from 2015 through to 2018 it is known as The Emirates FA Cup. A concurrent womens tournament is held, the FA Womens Cup. A record 763 clubs competed in 2011–12, the tournament consists of 12 randomly drawn rounds followed by the semi-finals and the final. The last entrants are the Premier League and Championship clubs, into the draw for the Third Round Proper, in the modern era, only one non-league team has ever reached the quarter finals, and teams below Level 2 have never reached the final. As a result, as well as who wins, significant focus is given to those minnows who progress furthest, especially if they achieve an unlikely giant-killing victory. Winners receive the FA Cup trophy, of which there have two designs and five actual cups, the latest is a 2014 replica of the second design. Winners also qualify for European football and a place in the FA Community Shield match, in 1863, the newly founded Football Association published the Laws of the Game of Association Football, unifying the various different rules in use before then. On 20 July 1871, in the offices of The Sportsman newspaper, the inaugural FA Cup tournament kicked off in November 1871. After thirteen games in all, Wanderers were crowned the winners in the final, Wanderers retained the trophy the following year. The modern cup was beginning to be established by the 1888–89 season, following the 1914–15 edition, the competition was suspended due to the First World War, and did not resume until 1919–20. The 1922–23 competition saw the first final to be played in the newly opened Wembley Stadium, due to the outbreak of World War II, the competition was not played between the 1938–39 and 1945–46 editions. Having previously featured replays, the modern day practice of ensuring the semi-final and final matches finish on the day, was introduced from 2000 onwards. Redevelopment of Wembley saw the final played outside of England for the first time, the final returned to Wembley in 2007, followed by the semi-finals from 2008. The competition is open to any club down to Level 10 of the English football league system which meets the eligibility criteria, all clubs in the top four levels are automatically eligible. Clubs in the six levels are also eligible provided they have played in either the FA Cup. Newly formed clubs, such as F. C. United of Manchester in 2005–06 and also 2006–07, all clubs entering the competition must also have a suitable stadium

11.
EFL Cup
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The EFL Cup, or simply the League Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in mens domestic English football. First held in 1960–61 as the Football League Cup, it is one of the three top domestic competitions in England, alongside the Premier League and FA Cup. It concludes in February, long before the two, which end in May. It was introduced by the league as a response to the popularity of European football. It also took advantage of the roll-out of floodlights, allowing the fixtures to be played as midweek evening games, with the renaming of the Football League as the English Football League in 2016, the tournament was rebranded as the EFL Cup from the 2016–17 season onwards. The tournament is played over seven rounds, with single leg ties throughout, the final is held at Wembley Stadium, it is the only tie in the competition played at a neutral venue and on a weekend. Entrants are seeded in the rounds, and a system of byes based on league level ensures higher ranked teams enter in later rounds. Winners receive the EFL Cup, of which there have been three designs, the current one also being the original, the current holders are Manchester United, who beat Southampton 3–2 in the 2017 final to win their fifth League Cup. Some clubs have fielded a weaker side in the competition. Many of the top English sides, Arsenal and Manchester United in particular, have used the competition to give young players valuable big-game experience. However, in 2010, in response to Arsène Wengers claim that a League Cup win would not end his trophy drought, Alex Ferguson described the trophy as a pot worth winning. The original idea for a League Cup came from Stanley Rous who saw the competition as a consolation for clubs who had already knocked out of the FA Cup. However it was not Rous who came to implement it, the re-organisation of the league was not immediately forthcoming, however, the cup competition was introduced regardless. The trophy was paid for personally by Football League President Joe Richards, Richards was proud of the competition, Richards described the competitions formation as an interim step on the way to the leagues re-organisation. I hope the Press will not immediately assume that the League is going to fall out with the F. A. or anybody else, the time has come for our voice to be heard in every problem which affects the professional game. The League Cup competition was established at a time when match day attendances were dwindling, the league had lost 1 million spectators compared to the previous season. It was established at a time when tensions between the Football League and the Football Association were high, the biggest disagreement was how revenue was shared between the clubs. During the late 1950s, the majority of senior English clubs equipped their grounds with floodlights and this opened up the opportunity to exploit weekday evenings throughout the winter

12.
Arsenal F.C.
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Arsenal Football Club is a professional football club based in Highbury, London, that plays in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The club has won 13 League titles,12 FA Cups, Arsenal was the first club from the South of England to join The Football League, in 1893. They entered the First Division in 1904, and have accumulated the second most points. Relegated only once, in 1913, they continue the longest streak in the top division, in the 1930s, Arsenal won five League Championships and two FA Cups, and another FA Cup and two Championships after the war. In 1970–71, they won their first League and FA Cup Double, between 1989 and 2005, they won five League titles and five FA Cups, including two more Doubles. They completed the 20th century with the highest average league position, Herbert Chapman won Arsenals first national trophies, but died prematurely. He helped introduce the WM formation, floodlights, and shirt numbers, Arsène Wenger has been the longest-serving manager and has won the most trophies. His teams set several English records, the longest win streak, the longest unbeaten run, in 1886, Woolwich munitions workers founded the club as Dial Square. In 1913, the crossed the city to Arsenal Stadium in Highbury. They became Tottenham Hotspurs nearest club, commencing the North London derby, in 2006, they moved down the road to the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal earned €435. 5m in 2014–15, with the Emirates Stadium generating the highest revenue in world football, based on social media activity from 2014–15, Arsenals fanbase is the fifth largest in the world. In 2016, Forbes estimated the club was the second most valuable in England, on 1 December 1886, munitions workers in Woolwich, now South East London, formed Arsenal as Dial Square, with David Danskin as their first captain. Named after the heart of the Royal Arsenal complex, they took the name of the complex a month later. Royal Arsenal F. C. s first home was Plumstead Common, though spent most of their time in South East London playing on the other side of Plumstead. Royal Arsenal won Arsenals first trophies in 1890 and 1891, Royal Arsenal renamed themselves for a second time upon becoming a limited liability company in 1893. They registered their new name, Woolwich Arsenal, with The Football League when the club ascended later that year, Woolwich Arsenal was the first southern member of The Football League, starting out in the Second Division and winning promotion to the First Division in 1904. Falling attendances, due to financial difficulties among the munitions workers, businessmen Henry Norris and William Hall took the club over, and sought to move them elsewhere. In 1913, soon after relegation back to the Second Division, Woolwich Arsenal moved to the new Arsenal Stadium in Highbury and this saw their third change of name, the following year, they reduced Woolwich Arsenal to simply The Arsenal

13.
UEFA Champions League
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The UEFA Champions League is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations and contested by top-division European clubs. It is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world, the UEFA Champions League final is the most watched annual sporting event worldwide. The final of the 2012–13 tournament had the highest TV ratings to date, the pre-1992 competition was initially a straight knockout tournament open only to the champion club of each country. During the 1990s, the format was expanded, incorporating a round-robin group stage to include clubs that finished runner-up of some nations top-level league. Clubs that finish next-in-line in each top level league, having not qualified for the UEFA Champions League competition. In its present format, the UEFA Champions League begins in mid-July with three qualifying rounds and a play-off round. The 10 surviving teams enter the stage, joining 22 other teams qualified in advance. The 32 teams are drawn into eight groups of four teams, the eight group winners and eight runners-up proceed to the knockout phase that culminates with the final match in May. The winner of the UEFA Champions League qualifies for the UEFA Super Cup, Real Madrid is the most successful club in the competitions history, having won the tournament 11 times, including its first five seasons. Spanish clubs have accumulated the highest number of victories, followed by England, the competition has been won by 22 different clubs,12 of which have won it more than once. Since the tournament changed name and structure in 1992, no club has managed consecutive wins, Milan were the last holders to defend their title. The reigning champions are Real Madrid, who secured their title in the competition after defeating Atlético Madrid on penalties following a 1–1 draw in the 2016 final. The first pan-European tournament was the Challenge Cup, a competition between clubs in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Mitropa Cup, a competition modelled after the Challenge Cup, was created in 1927, an idea of Austrian Hugo Meisl, and played between Central European clubs. In 1930, the Coupe des Nations, the first attempt to create a cup for national clubs of Europe, was played and organised by Swiss club Servette. Held in Geneva, it brought together ten champions from across the continent, the tournament was won by Újpest of Hungary. Latin European nations came together to form the Latin Cup in 1949 and it was conceived in Paris in 1955 as the European Champion Clubs Cup. The first edition of the European Cup took place during the 1955–56 season, the first European Cup match took place on 4 September 1955, and ended in a 3–3 draw between Sporting CP and Partizan. The first goal in European Cup history was scored by João Baptista Martins of Sporting CP, the inaugural final took place at the Parc des Princes between Stade de Reims and Real Madrid

14.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH, also known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Bayer Leverkusen, Leverkusen or simply Bayer, is a German football club based in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club plays in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German football league system, the club was founded in 1904 by employees of the German pharmaceutical company Bayer, whose headquarters are in Leverkusen and from which the club draws its name. In 1999 the football department was separated from the club and is now a separate entity formally called Bayer 04 Leverkusen GmbH. Bayer Leverkusen have won one DFB-Pokal and one UEFA Cup, on 27 November 1903, Wilhelm Hauschild wrote a letter – signed by 170 of his fellow workers – to his employer, the Friedrich Bayer and Co. seeking the companys support in starting a sports club. The company agreed to support the initiative, and on 1 July 1904 Turn- und Spielverein Bayer 04 Leverkusen was founded, on 31 May 1907, a separate football department was formed within the club. In the culture of sports in Germany at the time, there was significant animosity between gymnasts and other types of athletes, SV Bayer 04 Leverkusen took with them the clubs traditional colours of red and black, with the gymnasts adopting blue and yellow. Through this period, and into the 1930s, SV Bayer 04 Leverkusen played third, in 1936, they earned promotion to the second highest class of play of the period. That was also the year that the club wore the familiar Bayer cross for the first time and they made their first appearance in upper league play in 1951, in the Oberliga West and played there until 1956, after which they were relegated. SV Bayer 04 Leverkusen would not return to the leagues until 1962, just one season before the formation of Germanys new professional league. The next year saw the club in the Regionalliga West, tier II, SV Bayer 04 Leverkusen made something of a breakthrough in 1968 by winning the division title, but was unable to advance through the playoff round to the first division. The club was relegated again in 1973, but made a return to what was now called the 2. Bundesliga after just one season spent in the third division, four years later, the club handily secured a place in the Bundesliga to start to play there in the 1979–80 season. By the mid-1980s, SV Bayer 04 Leverkusen had played its way into the half of the league table and was well-established there by the end of the decade. It was during time, in 1984, that the two-halves of the club that had parted ways over a half century earlier were re-united as TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen e. V. The new club took red and white as its colours, in addition to becoming an established Bundesliga side, the club earned its first honours with a dramatic win in the 1988 UEFA Cup. Down 0–3 to Espanyol after the first leg of the final, Bayer Leverkusen drew even in the match and then captured the title on penalty kicks. That same year, long-time Bayer Leverkusen executive Reiner Calmund became the manager of the club. This is regarded as one of the most important moves in the history, as Calmund ushered in a decade

15.
Old Trafford
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Old Trafford is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. It is about 0.5 miles from Old Trafford Cricket Ground, future expansion is likely to involve the addition of a second tier to the South Stand, which would raise the capacity to around 95,000. The stadiums record attendance was recorded in 1939, when 76,962 spectators watched the FA Cup semi-final between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Grimsby Town and it also hosted football matches at the 2012 Summer Olympics, including womens international football for the first time in its history. Before 1902, Manchester United were known as Newton Heath, during time they first played their football matches at North Road. However, both grounds were blighted by wretched conditions, the pitches ranging from gravel to marsh, while Bank Street suffered from clouds of fumes from its neighbouring factories. Including the purchase of the land, the construction of the stadium was originally to have cost £60,000 all told. The subsidy would have come to the sum of £10,000, however, despite guarantees for the loan coming from the club itself and two local breweries, both chaired by club chairman John Henry Davies, the Cheshire Lines Committee turned the proposal down. The CLC had planned to build a new station adjacent to the new stadium, the station – Trafford Park – was eventually built, but further down the line than originally planned. The CLC later constructed a modest station with one timber-built platform immediately adjacent to the stadium and it was initially named United Football Ground, but was renamed Old Trafford Football Ground in early 1936. It was served on match days only by a service of steam trains from Manchester Central railway station. It is currently known as Manchester United Football Ground, construction was carried out by Messrs Brameld and Smith of Manchester and development was completed in late 1909. The stadium hosted its game on 19 February 1910, with United playing host to Liverpool. However, the side were unable to provide their fans with a win to mark the occasion. A journalist at the game reported the stadium as the most handsomest, the most spacious, as a football ground it is unrivalled in the world, it is an honour to Manchester and the home of a team who can do wonders when they are so disposed. Before the construction of Wembley Stadium in 1923, the FA Cup Final was hosted by a number of different grounds around England including Old Trafford. The first of these was the 1911 FA Cup Final replay between Bradford City and Newcastle United, after the tie at Crystal Palace finished as a no-score draw after extra time. Bradford won 1–0, the goal scored by Jimmy Speirs, in a match watched by 58,000 people, the grounds second FA Cup Final was the 1915 final between Sheffield United and Chelsea. Sheffield United won the match 3–0 in front of nearly 50,000 spectators, most of whom were in the military, leading to the final being nicknamed the Khaki Cup Final

16.
Liverpool F.C.
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Liverpool Football Club is a professional association football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football, the club has won 5 European Cups,3 UEFA Cups,3 UEFA Super Cups,18 League titles,7 FA Cups, a record 8 League Cups, and 15 FA Community Shields. The club was founded in 1892 and joined the Football League the following year, the club has played at Anfield since its formation. The club holds many long-standing rivalries, most notably the North West Derby against Manchester United, the clubs supporters have been involved in two major tragedies. The second was the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, where 96 Liverpool supporters died in a crush against perimeter fencing, the team changed from red shirts and white shorts to an all-red home strip in 1964 which has been used ever since. The clubs anthem is Youll Never Walk Alone, Liverpool F. C. was founded following a dispute between the Everton committee and John Houlding, club president and owner of the land at Anfield. After eight years at the stadium, Everton relocated to Goodison Park in 1892, the team won the Lancashire League in its début season, and joined the Football League Second Division at the start of the 1893–94 season. After finishing in first place the club was promoted to the First Division, Liverpool reached its first FA Cup Final in 1914, losing 1–0 to Burnley. Liverpool suffered its second Cup Final defeat in 1950, playing against Arsenal, the club was relegated to the Second Division in the 1953–54 season. Soon after Liverpool lost 2–1 to non-league Worcester City in the 1958–59 FA Cup, the club was promoted back into the First Division in 1962 and won it in 1964, for the first time in 17 years. In 1965, the club won its first FA Cup, in 1966, the club won the First Division but lost to Borussia Dortmund in the European Cup Winners Cup final. Liverpool won both the League and the UEFA Cup during the 1972–73 season, and the FA Cup again a year later, Shankly retired soon afterwards and was replaced by his assistant, Bob Paisley. In 1976, Paisleys second season as manager, the club won another League, the following season, the club retained the League title and won the European Cup for the first time, but it lost in the 1977 FA Cup Final. Liverpool retained the European Cup in 1978 and regained the First Division title in 1979, Paisley retired in 1983 and was replaced by his assistant, Joe Fagan. Liverpool won the League, League Cup and European Cup in Fagans first season, Liverpool reached the European Cup final again in 1985, against Juventus at the Heysel Stadium. Before kick-off, Liverpool fans breached a fence separated the two groups of supporters, and charged the Juventus fans. The resulting weight of people caused a wall to collapse, killing 39 fans. The incident became known as the Heysel Stadium disaster, the match was played in spite of protests by both managers, and Liverpool lost 1–0 to Juventus

17.
Glasgow
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Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland, and third largest in the United Kingdom. Historically part of Lanarkshire, it is now one of the 32 council areas of Scotland and it is situated on the River Clyde in the countrys West Central Lowlands. Inhabitants of the city are referred to as Glaswegians, Glasgow grew from a small rural settlement on the River Clyde to become the largest seaport in Britain. From the 18th century the city grew as one of Great Britains main hubs of transatlantic trade with North America. Glasgow was the Second City of the British Empire for much of the Victorian era and Edwardian period, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries Glasgow grew in population, reaching a peak of 1,128,473 in 1939. The entire region surrounding the conurbation covers about 2.3 million people, at the 2011 census, Glasgow had a population density of 8, 790/sq mi, the highest of any Scottish city. Glasgow hosted the 2014 Commonwealth Games and is well known in the sporting world for the football rivalry of the Old Firm between Celtic and Rangers. Glasgow is also known for Glasgow patter, a dialect that is noted for being difficult to understand by those from outside the city. Glasgow is the form of the ancient Cumbric name Glas Cau. Possibly referring to the area of Molendinar Burn where Glasgow Cathedral now stands, the later Gaelic name Baile Glas Chu, town of the grey dog, is purely a folk-etymology. The present site of Glasgow has been settled since prehistoric times, it is for settlement, being the furthest downstream fording point of the River Clyde, the origins of Glasgow as an established city derive ultimately from its medieval position as Scotlands second largest bishopric. Glasgow increased in importance during the 10th and 11th centuries as the site of this bishopric, reorganised by King David I of Scotland and John, there had been an earlier religious site established by Saint Mungo in the 6th century. The bishopric became one of the largest and wealthiest in the Kingdom of Scotland, bringing wealth, sometime between 1189 and 1195 this status was supplemented by an annual fair, which survives as the Glasgow Fair. Glasgow grew over the following centuries, the first bridge over the River Clyde at Glasgow was recorded from around 1285, giving its name to the Briggait area of the city, forming the main North-South route over the river via Glasgow Cross. The founding of the University of Glasgow in 1451 and elevation of the bishopric to become the Archdiocese of Glasgow in 1492 increased the towns religious and educational status and landed wealth. Its early trade was in agriculture, brewing and fishing, with cured salmon and herring being exported to Europe, Glasgow was subsequently raised to the status of Royal Burgh in 1611. The citys Tobacco Lords created a water port at Port Glasgow on the Firth of Clyde. By the late 18th century more than half of the British tobacco trade was concentrated on Glasgows River Clyde, at the time, Glasgow held a commercial importance as the city participated in the trade of sugar, tobacco and later cotton

18.
Steve McClaren
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Stephen McClaren is an English professional football manager and former player who was recently the manager of Derby County. McClaren served as manager of the England national team from August 2006 to November 2007 and he was sacked when England failed to qualify for UEFA Euro 2008. McClarens managerial career began at Middlesbrough in the Premier League, who won the League Cup in 2004 and were runners-up in the 2006 UEFA Cup, in 2008, McClaren became manager of Twente, with whom he won the clubs first Eredivisie championship in the 2009–10 season. He then worked as manager of VfL Wolfsburg in Germany between May 2010 and February 2011, after a short spell as manager of Nottingham Forest, he returned to Twente in January 2012. McClarens return to Twente was initially greeted with enthusiasm and the club was deemed to be one of the favourites to the 2012–13 Eredivisie championship at the start of the season, after unsuccessful results, however, McClaren resigned his position on 26 February 2013. Within seven months, he was back in management with Derby County, in May 2015, McClaren was sacked by Derby. On 10 June 2015, McClaren was appointed as coach of Newcastle United on a three-year deal. He returned to Derby on 12 October 2016 before being sacked for a time by the club 5 months later on 12 March 2017. McClaren was born on 3 May 1961 in Fulford, York, described as Yorkshire born and bred, McClarens ancestors worked variously as miners, brewers, cotton mill workers, labourers, and farmworkers, and in domestic service. As a child, McClaren attended Nunthorpe Grammar School after passing his eleven-pluses, in order to attend he had to cycle a daily ten-mile round trip across York. This is cited as an example of his determination to succeed in sport, at school he played rugby, tennis, squash and was captain of the schools football team. He also played for York Boys under-15 team and represented the county of Yorkshire, playing as midfielder, McClaren is remembered as being a tiny player but also skilful on the ball and head and shoulders above the rest. As a player, McClaren was a midfielder who spent most of his career in the leagues of English football. The bulk of his career was with Hull City, who he joined in 1979 at the age of 18 after leaving school. He then played for Derby County between 1985 and 1988, making 25 appearances, during 1987, he joined Lincoln City making only eight appearances. In 1988, he moved to Bristol City and played 61 times and he joined his final club, Oxford United, in 1989. He played 33 times for Oxford before an injury forced him to retire in 1992, after retiring from playing, McClaren began his coaching career as a youth and reserve team coach at Oxford United, where Denis Smith was manager. He moved back to Derby County in 1995, where he was assistant manager to Jim Smith, the pair won promotion to the Premier League in their first season in charge, establishing themselves in this division and later enjoyed further consolidation in the top flight

19.
Mike Phelan
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Michael Christopher Mike Phelan, also known as Mick Phelan or Micky Phelan, is an English professional football coach and former player. Born in Nelson, Lancashire, he spent most of his career at Burnley, Norwich City and Manchester United. While he was with Manchester United, he earned a single cap for England. In 2002, Norwich fans voted Phelan into the clubs Hall of Fame, after the end of his playing career, Phelan moved into coaching. He first took a position as Gary Megsons assistant at his club, Norwich City, before following Megson to Blackpool. After Megson left Stockport, Phelan was hired by former club, Manchester United. Two years later, he was promoted to become Alex Fergusons chief first-team coach and he remained in the position until Fergusons retirement in 2013, when Fergusons successor David Moyes replaced the entire coaching staff. A month later, he was appointed as assistant manager at Hull City under former Manchester United teammate Steve Bruce and he was promoted to first team management following the departure of Bruce on a temporary basis before the 2016-17 season. This was made permanent on 13 October and he was sacked from his position with Hull on 3 January 2017 with the club 20th in the Premier League. Phelan began his career at Burnley, signing as a schoolboy in July 1979. He made his debut in January 1981 against Chesterfield and whilst at Turf Moor, gained England Youth caps. But in 1985, Burnley were relegated to the Fourth Division, Norwich won the Second Division title in his first season at the club. He was called into the England squad for the Rous Cup games against Chile and Scotland and his success drew the attention of larger clubs and he followed Steve Bruce to Manchester United for £750,000 on 1 July 1989. At Manchester United, he won his first international cap. This was followed by the European Cup Winners Cup in 1991, Phelan was often deployed at right-back during his first season at Manchester United, but following the arrival of Denis Irwin in 1990 he mostly played on the right or in the centre of midfield. By 1993, however, he was much a bit-part player due to growing competition from younger players like Andrei Kanchelskis, Paul Ince, Ryan Giggs. He had missed out on a place in the 1994 FA Cup winning squad and he had, however, played enough games to earn a Premier League title medal in 1992–93. With the introduction of Premier League squad numbers for the 1993–94 season and he returned to Carrow Road in December 1995, as assistant manager to Gary Megson and managed the clubs reserve team

20.
Carlos Queiroz
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Carlos Manuel Brito Leal Queiroz, ComIH, is a Portuguese football coach who is the current manager of the Iran national team. He has also been the manager of the Portuguese national team and Spanish club Real Madrid and he has qualified three national teams to the World Cup, those being South Africa in 2002, Portugal in 2010, and Iran in 2014. Queiroz has won awards as a coach in junior levels. In 1998, he authored the Q-Report, which detailed plans to enhance football player development in the United States, Queiroz is the longest serving manager in the history of the Iran national football team after serving for over five years from his appointment in 2011. He moved to Portugal following Portugals Carnation Revolution on 25 April 1974, Queiroz is a graduate of the University of Windsor. He coached the Portuguese under-20 side to two Football World Youth Championship wins, in the 1989 and 1991 tournaments, in 1984, Queiroz was appointed as assistant manager of Estoril-Praia. After that, Queiroz was appointed national team coach in 1991. He had a record of 14 wins in 31 matches, afterwards, he went on to manage the Portuguese SuperLiga team Sporting in 1994. He subsequently coached the New York MetroStars in the United States, in between, he found time to author the Q-Report, detailing plans to professionalize the development of football players in the United States. Queiroz returned to coaching national teams in 1999, when he took the job as coach of the United Arab Emirates, under Queiroz, South Africa qualified for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, but Queiroz resigned before the finals after falling out with the South African Football Association. Queiroz became a coach at English club Manchester United in June 2002 and he began his work at the start of the 2002–03 season, working alongside Alex Ferguson, who had gone without an assistant manager since the departure of Steve McClaren in the middle of 2001. It was an opportunity to work with FIFA World Player of the Year award winners Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo and Luís Figo and he was appointed on a two-year contract, only a week after the arrival of Manchester United player David Beckham. Although Real Madrid were playing some of their best football in recent years, Real Madrid got off to a good start of the 2003–04 season, defeating Mallorca in the Spanish Supercup. By mid-season, the team topped the La Liga table and was in contention for the Spanish Cup, however, they lost their final five matches and finished in fourth place, with Valencia winning the title. Real Madrid also disappointed in the Spanish Cup and Champions League, following 10 months at Real Madrid, Queiroz joined the long list of managerial failures at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, as he was sacked in May 2004. Reforming the old partnership with Alex Ferguson proved an attractive option to both sides, United had trailed 15 points behind Arsenal, and Ferguson was forced to bring in temporary help from Walter Smith during the tough end of season run-in. Subsequently, Queiroz returned to United as assistant manager on 1 July 2004, Queiroz was heavily rumoured to be one of the main reasons for team captain Roy Keanes departure from Manchester United in November 2005. According to Keane, he did not like the way Queiroz was given so much responsibility as if he were manager of the club, one of the main outbursts of Keanes MUTV interview was aimed directly at Queiroz

21.
Ryan Giggs
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Ryan Joseph Giggs, OBE is a Welsh football coach and former player who is the co-owner of Salford City. He played his professional career for Manchester United. The son of rugby league player Danny Wilson, Giggs was born in Cardiff, predominantly a left winger, he began his career with Manchester City, but joined Manchester United on his 14th birthday in 1987. He made his debut for the club in 1991 and spent the next 23 years in the Manchester United first team. At the end of the 2013–14 season, he was named as Manchester Uniteds interim player-manager following the sacking of David Moyes and he was named as assistant manager under Moyes permanent replacement, Louis van Gaal, on 19 May 2014, he retired from playing the same day. He holds the record for competitive appearances. At international level, Giggs played for the Wales national team 64 times between 1991 and 2007, and was named as the captain of the Great Britain team that competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He is one of only 18 players to have made over 1,000 career appearances, Giggs is the most decorated player in football history. Giggs captained the team on occasions, particularly in the 2007–08 season when regular captain Gary Neville was ruled out with various injuries. Giggs also has a number of personal achievements and he was the first player in history to win two consecutive PFA Young Player of the Year awards, though he did not win the PFA Player of the Year award until 2009. He was the player to play in each of the first 22 seasons of the Premier League. He was elected into the PFA Team of the Century in 2007, Giggs holds the record for the most assists in Premier League history, with 271. He was named as BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2009, in addition to the many honours Giggs has received within football, he was appointed an OBE in the Queens 2007 Birthday Honours List for his services to football. Giggs was born at St Davids Hospital in Canton, Cardiff, to Danny Wilson, a union player for Cardiff RFC. Giggs is mixed race – his paternal grandfather is from Sierra Leone – and has spoken of the racism he faced as a child, as a child, Giggs grew up in Ely, a suburb of western Cardiff. His younger brother, Rhodri, is a manager of non-league Salford City. He spent much time with his mothers parents and playing football, in 1980, when Giggs was six years old, his father switched rugby codes and signed for Swinton RLFC, forcing the whole family to move north to Swinton, a town in Salford, Greater Manchester. The move was a one, as Giggs was very close to his grandparents in Cardiff

22.
Celtic F.C.
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The Celtic Football Club is a professional football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, which plays in the Scottish Premiership. The club was founded in 1887 with the purpose of alleviating poverty in the immigrant Irish population in the East End of Glasgow and they played their first match in May 1888, a friendly match against Rangers which Celtic won 5–2. Celtic established itself within Scottish football, winning six league titles during the first decade of the 20th century. The club enjoyed their greatest successes during the 1960s and 70s under Jock Stein when they won nine league titles. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 48 occasions, most recently in the 2016–17 season, the Scottish Cup 36 times, Celtic also reached the 1970 European Cup Final, and the 2003 UEFA Cup Final. Celtic have a fierce rivalry with Rangers, and the clubs have become known as the Old Firm. The two clubs have dominated Scottish football, winning 102 league titles between them since the inception of the Scottish League in 1890. The clubs fanbase was estimated in 2003 as being around nine million worldwide, an estimated 80,000 fans travelled to Seville for the 2003 UEFA Cup Final. The club has the nickname, The Bhoys. However, according to the Celtic press office, the established club was known to many as the bold boys. A postcard from the early 20th century that pictured the team, the extra h imitates the spelling system of Gaelic, wherein the letter b is often accompanied by the letter h. On 28 May 1888, Celtic played their first official match against Rangers, Neil McCallum scored Celtics first ever goal. Celtics first kit consisted of a shirt with a green collar, black shorts. The original club crest was a green cross on a red oval background. In 1889 Celtic reached the final of the Scottish Cup, this was their first season in the competition, Celtic again reached the final of the Scottish Cup in 1892, but this time were victorious after defeating Queens Park 5–1 in the final, the clubs first major honour. Several months later the moved to its new ground, Celtic Park. In 1895, Celtic set the League record for the highest home score when they beat Dundee 11–0, in 1897, the club became a Private limited company and Willie Maley was appointed as the first secretary-manager. Between 1905 and 1910, Celtic won the Scottish League Championship six times in a row, in both 1907 and 1908 Celtic also won the Scottish Cup, this was the first time a Scottish club had ever won the Double

23.
PFA Players' Player of the Year
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The Professional Footballers Association Players Player of the Year is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the year in English football. The award has been presented since the 1973–74 season and the winner is chosen by a vote amongst the members of the trade union. The current holder is Riyad Mahrez, who won the award on 24 April 2016 for his displays throughout the 2015–16 season, the first winner of the award was Leeds United defender Norman Hunter. As of 2013, only Mark Hughes, Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo, of the five, only Shearer won his awards playing for two different teams. A shortlist of nominees is published in April and the winner of the award, the award has been presented on 41 occasions as of 2014, with 36 different winners. Premier League Player of the Season The official website of the Professional Footballers Association

24.
Jaap Stam
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Jakob Jaap Stam is a Dutch football manager and former player who is currently the manager of Reading. Born in Kampen, he played for several European clubs including PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, Lazio, Milan, as well as club trophies, he won several personal awards, including being voted the best defender in the 1998–99 and 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League. A large centre-back, he was known for possessing a combination of speed, strength and ball-playing ability. Due to his range of skills, he was also capable of playing as a full-back. Stam played 67 international matches for the Netherlands, scoring three goals and he was in their squads for three UEFA European Championships and the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Stam started his career with amateur football club DOS Kampen. On 15 August 1992, Stam made his debut for FC Zwolle in a 1–1 draw against SC Heracles in the Eerste Divisie. He became a first team right away and moved to Eredivisie side Cambuur Leeuwarden for the following season. Two seasons at Cambuur earned him a transfer to Eredivisie side Willem II, at Willem II, he immediately impressed at the Eredivisie level, which meant his final breakthrough. A shock 1–0 home victory over Ajax led to Stams transfer to PSV Eindhoven in the season in which they eventually won the KNVB Cup. Stam was a key player for PSV in the 1996–97 season, as the team won the Eredivisie Championship, individually, Stam won the VVCS Footballer of the Year award. In 1998, Stam became the then most expensive Dutch football player in history, Stam spent three seasons at Manchester United, during which time United won three Premier League titles, one FA Cup, the Intercontinental Cup and the UEFA Champions League. He scored his goal for the club in a 6–2 away victory against Leicester City. Stam made numerous statements in the book about his views on opposing players, laurent Blanc was signed as his replacement. In 2007, however, Ferguson described the decision to sell Stam as an error, At the time he had just come back from an achilles injury and we got the offer from Lazio, £16. 5m for a centre-back who was 29. It was an offer I couldnt refuse, but in playing terms it was a mistake. He is still playing for Ajax at a good level. On the financial report, Manchester United announced the fee was £15.3 million and he was the second Lazio player suspended in 2001, after Fernando Couto

25.
S.S. Lazio
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Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian sports club based in Rome, most known for its football activity. The society, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football. Lazio have been Italian champions twice, and have won the Coppa Italia six times, the club had their first major success in 1958, winning the domestic cup. In 1974, they won their first Serie A title, Lazios traditional kit colours are sky blue shirts and white shorts with white socks, the colours are reminiscent of Romes ancient Hellenic legacy. Sky blue socks have also been used as home colours. Their home is the 70,634 capacity Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Roma until the year 2018, when the latter will leave for the Stadio della Roma. Lazio have a rivalry with Roma, with whom they have contested the Derby della Capitale since 1929. Lazio is also a club that participate in 40 sports disciplines in total. Società Podistica Lazio was founded on 9 January 1900 in the Prati district of Rome, in 1927, Lazio was the only major Roman club which resisted the Fascist regimes attempts to merge all the citys teams into what would become A. S. The club played in the first organised Serie A in 1929 and, led by legendary Italian striker Silvio Piola, the 1950s produced a mix of mid and upper table results with a Coppa Italia win in 1958. Lazio was relegated for the first time in 1961 to the Serie B, after a number of mid-table placements, another relegation followed in 1970–71. Lazio improved such successes the following season, ensuring its first title in 1973–74, however, tragic deaths of Re Cecconi and Scudetto trainer Maestrelli, as well as the departure of Chinaglia, would be a triple blow for Lazio. The emergence of Bruno Giordano during this period provided some relief as he finished League top scorer in 1979, Lazio were forcibly relegated to Serie B in 1980 due to a remarkable scandal concerning illegal bets on their own matches, along with Milan. They remained in Italys second division for three seasons in what would mark the darkest period in Lazios history and they would return in 1983 and manage a last-day escape from relegation the following season. The 1984–85 season would prove harrowing, with a pitiful 15 points, in 1986, Lazio was hit with a nine-point deduction for a betting scandal involving player Claudio Vinazzani. The arrival of Sergio Cragnotti in 1992 changed the clubs due to his long-term investments in new players to make the team a Scudetto competitor. A notable early transfer during his tenure was the capture of English midfielder Paul Gascoigne from Tottenham Hotspur for £5.5 million, gascoignes transfer to Lazio is credited with the increase of interest in Serie A in the United Kingdom during the 1990s. Lazio had two more Coppa Italia triumphs in 1998 and 2004, as well as the last ever UEFA Cup Winners Cup in 1999 and they also reached the UEFA Cup, but lost 0–3 against Internazionale

26.
France
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France, officially the French Republic, is a country with territory in western Europe and several overseas regions and territories. The European, or metropolitan, area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, Overseas France include French Guiana on the South American continent and several island territories in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. France spans 643,801 square kilometres and had a population of almost 67 million people as of January 2017. It is a unitary republic with the capital in Paris. Other major urban centres include Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Nice, Toulouse, during the Iron Age, what is now metropolitan France was inhabited by the Gauls, a Celtic people. The area was annexed in 51 BC by Rome, which held Gaul until 486, France emerged as a major European power in the Late Middle Ages, with its victory in the Hundred Years War strengthening state-building and political centralisation. During the Renaissance, French culture flourished and a colonial empire was established. The 16th century was dominated by civil wars between Catholics and Protestants. France became Europes dominant cultural, political, and military power under Louis XIV, in the 19th century Napoleon took power and established the First French Empire, whose subsequent Napoleonic Wars shaped the course of continental Europe. Following the collapse of the Empire, France endured a succession of governments culminating with the establishment of the French Third Republic in 1870. Following liberation in 1944, a Fourth Republic was established and later dissolved in the course of the Algerian War, the Fifth Republic, led by Charles de Gaulle, was formed in 1958 and remains to this day. Algeria and nearly all the colonies became independent in the 1960s with minimal controversy and typically retained close economic. France has long been a centre of art, science. It hosts Europes fourth-largest number of cultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites and receives around 83 million foreign tourists annually, France is a developed country with the worlds sixth-largest economy by nominal GDP and ninth-largest by purchasing power parity. In terms of household wealth, it ranks fourth in the world. France performs well in international rankings of education, health care, life expectancy, France remains a great power in the world, being one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council with the power to veto and an official nuclear-weapon state. It is a member state of the European Union and the Eurozone. It is also a member of the Group of 7, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Trade Organization, originally applied to the whole Frankish Empire, the name France comes from the Latin Francia, or country of the Franks

27.
Laurent Blanc
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Laurent Robert Blanc is a French football manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of Paris Saint-Germain and he has the nickname Le Président, which was given to him following his stint at Marseille in tribute to his leadership skills. Blanc played professional football for clubs, including Montpellier, Napoli, Barcelona, Marseille, Internazionale and Manchester United. He is also a former French international, earning 97 caps and he represented the country in several international tournaments, including the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000, both of which France won. On 28 June 1998, Blanc scored the first golden goal in World Cup history against Paraguay and he began his managerial career at Bordeaux in 2007, winning domestic honours including the 2008–09 Ligue 1 title. In 2013, he was hired by Paris Saint-Germain, winning further honours, after 3 successful years with Paris Saint-Germain he left the club in June 2016. Blanc was born in Alès, France and his career started at Montpellier, where he signed his first professional contract in 1983. A very technical, yet slow player, he played as an attacking midfielder, only a few years later did he settle as a defender following the advice from Michel Mézy, a position in which his physical stature and his temperament would prove invaluable. His game being perfectly fitted for the French league, he managed to score at least 12 goals in season at Montpellier, for the most part penalties. He also won the Coupe de France in 1990, scoring a goal in the final match, Blanc remains Montpelliers all-time leading goal scorer, with 84 in all competitions. Despite injuring himself early in the season, Blanc came back strongly, Blancs success at Auxerre drew the attention of several big European clubs. Blanc agreed to join Barcelona in Spain largely because manager Johan Cruyff wanted him, but on the very day that Blanc said yes to Barça, Cruyff was sacked, and Blancs spell with the club was a less than happy one. Blanc was in the side when Barcelona won the Supercopa de España against Atlético Madrid and he played regularly upon his return from injury, but was sent off during the Cup Winners Cup quarter-final against AIK. He then injured himself again against Extremadura, which forced him to miss the Clásico, after this disappointing season and only one year away from the 1998 World Cup, he decided to leave. Rolland Courbis managed to convince Blanc to join Marseille, which proved beneficial for both the club and Blanc, afterwards, Blanc left Marseille for Internazionale, where he enjoyed some success, winning the Pirata dOro in 2000. He was criticised for poor performances in the months of his stay at Old Trafford. He scored four goals during his time at Manchester United, one of these came in the league against Tottenham Hotspur, and the other three all came in the Champions League in games against Olympiacos and Boavista. Blanc retired from football at the end of his time with the club, Blanc won the 1988 European Under-21 Championship, beating Greece in the final

28.
Denis Irwin
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Denis Joseph Irwin is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a full-back from 1983 to 2004. He has been regarded by Alex Ferguson as, pound for pound, earlier in his career he played for Leeds United and then Oldham Athletic, and finished his career with a two-year spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers. Irwin was capped by the Republic of Ireland national side 56 times, scoring four goals, Irwin is the joint most successful Irish footballer in history, a record he shares with fellow Manchester United stalwart Roy Keane, having won 19 major trophies in his career. Irwin grew up in Cork and was educated at Coláiste Chríost Rí, as a schoolboy, he excelled at both Gaelic football and hurling, and played at Croke Park more than once, on one occasion marking future team-mate, Niall Quinn. Irwin began his career with Leeds United in 1983, making 72 appearances in the Second Division, before moving on to Oldham Athletic on a free transfer in 1986. He helped Oldham reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup and the final of the Football League Cup in 1990 before he was transferred to Manchester United for a fee of £625,000 and he scored a total of 22 league goals for United, including several penalties. The first of these came on 7 September 1991 in a 3–0 home win over Norwich City in the First Division, Irwin was awarded a testimonial game for Manchester United – played on 16 August 2000 against Manchester City at Old Trafford. Despite testimonials being friendly matches, due to the match being between local rivals it was a physical affair, Irwin went off injured in the 37th minute after a bad challenge by City striker George Weah. Irwin made his last appearance for Manchester United at Old Trafford against Charlton Athletic on the day of the 2001–02 Premier League season. For his final game as a Manchester United player, Alex Ferguson awarded him the captains armband, Irwin scored twice in his first season at Wolves, against Burnley and Grimsby. Wolves were relegated at the end of the 2003–04 season, and he was capped 56 times for the Republic of Ireland between 1990 and 1999, and scored four goals. His first appearance came on 12 September 1990, when he helped them beat Morocco 1–0 in a friendly at Dalymount Park. He made his international debut on 17 October 1990, when the national side began their Euro 92 qualifying campaign with a 5–0 win over Turkey at Lansdowne Road. He scored his first international goal on 29 April 1992 in a friendly against the USA at Lansdowne Road. His final international appearance came on 17 November 1999, at the age of 34 and he played for his country at the 1994 World Cup. Since 2004, Irwin has worked as a presenter on MUTV, Irwin has been involved in coverage of several football tournaments on RTÉ. He is also a columnist with Irelands Sunday World newspaper and he contributed to RTÉ Sports coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. com

29.
Ronny Johnsen
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Jean Ronny Johnsen is a Norwegian former footballer who played at both professional and international levels as a centre back or defensive midfielder. Johnsen played club football in Norway, Turkey, and England for Sem, Stokke, Eik-Tønsberg, Lyn, Lillestrøm, Beşiktaş, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Newcastle United and he was capped 62 times for Norway, and competed at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Born in Sandefjord, Johnsen grew up in Stokke where he played for the local sides Sem IF and he started his senior career as a striker in the second tier side Eik-Tønsberg in 1987, but was retrained as a centre back by head coach Nils Johan Semb. Johnsen wanted to play as a striker and after he transferred to Lyn ahead of the 1992 season he played as a striker for the club in Tippeligaen. Half-way through the 1994 season, Johnsen transferred to Lillestrøm, where he was used more as a centre back then a striker, after a half season in Turkey, Johnsen was approached by Manchester United manager, Alex Ferguson who wanted to sign him. Johnsen turned down the first offer, but transferred to Manchester United during the summer of 1996, with a fee of £1. 2million, Johnsen became the then most expensive Norwegian defender. While at Manchester United, he won 4 league titles, and he was also a part of the team that won the UEFA Champions League in 1999. He covered the central position in Manchester Uniteds away win over Juventus in the semi-final in a game that is considered by many to be the best of his career. He also played the whole of the final in Barcelona, this time in defence and he has the rare distinction of also winning four medals in four consecutive appearances with the club. He was on the pitch for the title clincher, FA Cup final, and Champions League final in 1999, and because of injury, the following season, he just met the criteria for a title medal. While at Manchester United, he scored eight goals in all competitions – the first coming against Chelsea in the FA Charity Shield in August 1997 and he remained with them until his contract expired at the end of the 2001–02 season, when he was given a free transfer. In 2002, Johnsen and fellow Norwegian international Øyvind Leonhardsen had a trial at German side Schalke 04, after that move fell through, Johnsen signed with Aston Villa. In two years at Aston Villa, he scored once in the league, against Leeds United in February 2004, after leaving Aston Villa, Johnsen was offered a trial at Southampton and played against Chievo Verona in a friendly, ultimately he could not agree terms with the club. Johnsen then signed for Newcastle United but only played a handful of games before being released with concerns over his fitness levels, in February 2005, Johnsen announced his retirement from professional football. Shortly afterwards he changed his mind, signing a contract with the Norwegian club Vålerenga. Subsequently, he renewed this contract three times for the following 2006,2007 and 2008 seasons, Johnsen retired as an active football player on 3 November 2008, with Vålerenga losing their final game of the 2008 season 1–0 to SK Brann. Johnsen made his debut for the Norwegian national team in a match against Sweden in 1991. He played as wing, striker and midfielder during his career at the national team

30.
Raimond van der Gouw
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Raimond van der Gouw is a former Dutch footballer, who played as a goalkeeper. Van der Gouws first club was Go Ahead Eagles, a product of the clubs youth system, he made his debut for the first team in a 2–1 victory against Den Bosch, on 14 September 1985. At the time, Eagles were competing in the half of the first division. However, the club experienced relegation in 1987, and failed to achieve promotion the following season, after 97 league appearances, Van der Gouw joined second levels Vitesse. His first season for Vitesse saw the win the Eerste Divisie title. The following season saw further progress, a finish in 1989–90 saw Vitesse qualify for the UEFA Cup for the first time in its history. The club also reached the final of the domestic cup, in European competition, as Vitesse reached the UEFA Cup quarter-finals, Van der Gouw kept four consecutive clean sheets, before the side eventually lost to Sporting CP. Vitesse consistently finished in the top six in subsequent seasons, but were impressive in Europe, suffering a 3–0 aggregate defeat to Norwich City. Van der Gouws experience played a part in Uniteds successes, both as a player and as goalkeeping coach at the club and his United debut came against Aston Villa on 21 September 1996, when he kept a clean sheet. A notable appearance came against Borussia Dortmund in the semi-final of the 1996–97 UEFA Champions League, United lost the match 1–0, but Van der Gouw helped keep the score down. In 1998, Van der Gouw again played in a crucial Champions League match for United, the Red Devils drew 1–1 but were knocked out on away goals. In 1999–2000, for the first time in his United career, Van der Gouw played enough games to claim a Premier League medal, in some cases, he was selected as first-choice over the faltering Mark Bosnich. He also made his appearance in a FIFA-organised tournament, against South Melbourne in the 2000 Club World Championship. Despite having made only 26 starts in five seasons, and the arrival of Roy Carroll and he was the oldest player contracted to United throughout his six years at the club. However, this was one of only two appearances in 2001–02, resulting in a free transfer to West Ham United in June 2002. He played 61 competitive games in six years for the Red Devils, having turned down a move to Coventry City, Van der Gouw signed a one-year deal with West Ham, with the option of a second. He did not play a game for the club, and was released after one season following the clubs relegation. After leaving West Ham, Van der Gouw then returned to the Netherlands, where he joined RKC Waalwijk for the 2003–04 season and he subsequently joined AGOVV Apeldoorn, where a strong finish to 2005–06 enabled the team to reach the playoffs for topflight promotion

31.
Dwight Yorke
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Dwight Eversley Yorke CM is a Tobagonian former football player. Throughout his club career, he played for Aston Villa, Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City, Sydney and he was the assistant manager of the Trinidad and Tobago national team until the completion of the qualifying matches for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. At international level, Yorke represented Trinidad and Tobago on 74 occasions between 1989 and 2009, scoring 19 goals, along with Russell Latapy and Pat Jennings, Yorke holds the record number of participations in different World Cup competitions, including qualifying stages – six in total. Yorke was first discovered by Graham Taylor, at the time the Aston Villa manager, Yorke appeared in a team that played a friendly match against Aston Villa, Taylor was impressed and offered Yorke a trial at Villa. Yorke was subsequently given a permanent contract and he made his First Division debut for Aston Villa against Crystal Palace on 24 March 1990, Yorke was an integral member of the Villa team that reached the League Cup Final in 1996. Villa won 3–0 against Leeds United with Yorke getting on the scoresheet, on 30 September 1996 he scored a hat-trick against Newcastle United in a 4–3 defeat. Newcastle were leading 3–1 at half-time and Aston Villa were down to ten men, Yorke thought he had scored a fourth goal to equalise the game at 4–4, only for it to be ruled offside. It was performances like this led to interest from Manchester United in August 1998. Yorke appeared for Aston Villa on 231 occasions, scoring 97 times, the circumstances of his departure from Aston Villa were controversial. Yorke then approached Gregory to state that he wanted to leave the club, to which Gregory was famously attributed to saying that he would shoot Yorke if he had had a gun in his office. Yorke played for Villa on the day of the season at Everton on 15 August 1998. Villa were left no option but to sell the player. Despite spending 9 years at Villa he is disliked by some of its fans for his behaviour at the time he left the club and also because he later joined Birmingham City. In his first season Yorke was a key player in guiding his club to a treble of the Premiership title, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League. Yorke was also a member of Uniteds 1999–2000 title winning team. Despite a less successful third season personally, Yorke scored a hat-trick in the top of the clash with Arsenal as United went on to win a third successive title. Yorkes limited appearances in the 2001–02 season led to rumours that hed fallen out with United boss, Sir Alex Ferguson, after a January move to Middlesbrough fell through Yorke signed for Blackburn Rovers for £2 million during the close-season. Altogether he scored 64 goals for Manchester United in 188 appearances and it was rumoured that Souness accused him of not trying hard enough, and during a six-a-side match the pair once exchanged a few tough tackles

32.
Andy Cole
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Andrew Alexander Andy Cole is an English former professional footballer. As a player, he was a striker from 1988 to 2008 and he is most notably remembered for his time in the Premier League, with Manchester United, where he spent six years of his career and winning numerous trophies in the process. He is the third highest goalscorer in Premier League history, with 187 goals, Cole was also capped fifteen times for England between 1995 and 2001, scoring once against Albania in a World Cup qualifier. Cole started his career as a player for Arsenal on leaving school in 1988. He made his league appearance for Arsenal, aged 19, as a substitute against Sheffield United at Highbury during a First Division game on 29 December 1990, Arsenal won 4–1. He also made an appearance against Tottenham Hotspur in the Charity Shield in 1991 and almost made an immediate impact. The following season he was loaned to Fulham in the Third Division, Cole was sold to Second Division Bristol City in a £500,000 deal – at the time he was their most expensive player. In February 1993, Division One leaders Newcastle United broke their record club by paying £1.75 million to sign Cole. He then scored 12 goals in as many games as the Magpies cruised to the Division One title. His 12 goals included two hat-tricks, the first against Barnsley on 7 April, the second on the day of the season in a 7–1 hammering of Leicester City. He also scored the first of the two goals in their 2–0 promotion clinching win over Grimsby Town at Blundell Park on 4 May. After David Kelly was sold to Wolverhampton Wanderers, manager Kevin Keegan brought in Peter Beardsley as Coles strike partner for the 1993–94 Premier League campaign and his first top division goal was in a 1–1 draw against defending league champions Manchester United at Old Trafford on 21 August. This was Newcastles first goal in the Premier League, exactly three months later, he scored all three goals as the Magpies crushed Liverpool 3–0 at home. Cole was subsequently voted PFA Young Player of the Year for that season, Cole then scored nine Premier League goals in 18 games for Newcastle after the start of the 1994–95 season, and also scored a hat-trick against Royal Antwerp in the UEFA Cup. In all, Cole hit 68 goals in 84 games for Newcastle giving him a rate of 81%. In terms of goals per game for Newcastle, only Hughie Gallacher has a better record and his last goal for the Magpies came in the 1–1 home draw with Ipswich Town on 26 November 1994. Despite joining halfway through the 1994–95 season, Cole still managed to score 12 goals in just 18 Premier League games for United and he was cup-tied for the FA Cup Final a week later. Without him, United lost to Everton 1–0, United were also without the banned Eric Cantona and the injured Andrei Kanchelskis, the clubs two other highest scoring players that season

33.
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
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The club was established in 1875, becoming a founding member of The Football League in 1888. It is one of three clubs to have been both a founder member of the Football League and the Premier League. In 1890, Rovers moved to Ewood Park, Blackburn Rovers have been English champions three times, and have won six FA Cups and one Football League Cup. Blackburn are the only extant club to have won three consecutive FA Cups, the club has spent the majority of its existence in the top flight of English football. In 1992, Rovers gained promotion to the new Premier League a year after being taken over by local entrepreneur Jack Walker, in 1995, Rovers became Premier League champions. In the 1998–99 season, the club was relegated and it was promoted back to the Premier League two years later, in the 2000–01 season. It has qualified for the UEFA Cup four times, once as League Cup winners, twice as the Premier Leagues sixth-placed team, the 2011–12 season marked the clubs 72nd, non-consecutive, year in the top flight. Rovers are currently one of six clubs to have won the Premier League, along with Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City. The clubs motto is Arte et Labore, By Skill and Hard Work in Latin, the club was founded following a meeting, at the Leger Hotel, Blackburn, on 5 November 1875. The meeting was organised by two men, namely John Lewis and Arthur Constantine. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the possibility of forming a club to play under Association rules. The first match played by Blackburn Rovers took place in Church, on 28 September 1878, Blackburn Rovers became one of 23 clubs to form the Lancashire Football Association. On 1 November 1879 the club played in the F. A, Cup for the first time, beating the Tyne Association Football Club 5–1. Rovers were eventually put out of the competition in the round after suffering a heavy 6–0 defeat by Nottingham Forest. On 25 March 1882 the club won through to the final of the F. A, Blackburn Rovers was the first provincial team to reach the final, but the result was a 1–0 defeat by the Old Etonians. Cup on 29 March 1884 with a 2–1 victory over the Scottish team Queens Park, the same teams played the F. A. Cup final again the season, with Blackburn Rovers again emerging victorious. Rovers repeated this success yet again the season, winning the final replay 2–0 against West Bromwich Albion

34.
Bukit Jalil National Stadium
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It was officially inaugurated by the 4th Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, on 1 January 1998 ahead of the 1998 Commonwealth Games and staged the Games opening ceremony. The stadium was built on 1 January 1995 to host the 1998 Commonwealth Games and it finished exactly on 1 January 1998. After the 1998 Commonwealth Games in September, the became the home stadium for the Malaysia national football team, replacing the Shah Alam Stadium. It also served as the stadium of the 2001 Southeast Asian Games,2008 ASEAN University Games and 2006 FESPIC Games. Bukit Jalil National Stadiums capacity makes it the 24th largest stadium in the world and it is also the largest stadium in Southeast Asia. It was built by United Engineers Malaysia, Bhd and designed by Arkitek FAA and it was completed three months ahead of schedule. Designed to host a multitude of events, the National Stadium is the central, the stadium is considered the best stadium in Malaysia. There were many sports venues that were built for the Commonwealth Games, such as Bukit Kiara Sports Complex. Malaysias previous national stadium was the Merdeka Stadium before the Bukit Jalil sports complex was constructed, Malaysia also uses other stadiums for their football matches such as KLFA Stadium, MBPJ Stadium and the Shah Alam Stadium. Notable music artists who have performed in the include, Rain World Tour Rains Coming,27 January 2007. The Corrs on their Talk on Corners World Tour and In Blue, disney on Ice – The Princess Stories. Wang Lee Hom Music Man Tour 2009, kelly Clarkson in concert All I Ever Wanted World Tour, April 2010. Fish Leong 梁静茹 Today is our valentines day 今天情人节 Live in Malaysia,13 June 2009, fish Leong 梁静茹 Love Parade 爱的大游行 Live in Malaysia,1 October 2005. Usher Live in Malaysia, July 2010, paramore on their Brand New Eyes World Tour,19 October 2010. Franciscan Super Cup Final 2013,23 February 2013, g-Dragon 1st World Tour, One Of A Kind,22 June 2013. Linkin Park Living Things World Tour 2013,19 August 2013, athletics –1998 Commonwealth Games,2001 Southeast Asian Games,2008 ASEAN University Games,2015 ASEAN Civil Service Games. FA Premier League Asia Cup 2003, manchester United Asia Tour 2001,2009. 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup Final, first leg of the finals, chelsea 2011 summer tour of Asia

35.
David Beckham
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David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English former professional footballer. He is the first English player to win titles in four countries, England, Spain. He announced his retirement in May 2013 after a 20-year career and he was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2008. A global ambassador for the sport, Beckham is regarded as a British cultural icon, Beckhams professional club career began with Manchester United, where he made his first-team debut in 1992 aged 17. With United, he won the Premier League title six times, the FA Cup twice, and he then played four seasons with Real Madrid, winning the La Liga championship in his final season with the club. In July 2007 Beckham signed a contract with Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy. While a Galaxy player, he spent two spells in Italy with Milan in 2009 and 2010. He was the first British footballer to play 100 UEFA Champions League games, in international football, Beckham made his England debut on 1 September 1996 at the age of 21. He was captain for six years, earning 58 caps during his tenure and he made 115 career appearances in total, appearing at three FIFA World Cup tournaments, in 1998,2002 and 2006, and two UEFA European Championship tournaments, in 2000 and 2004. Beckham has consistently ranked among the highest earners in football, and in 2013 he was listed as the player in the world. He has been married to Victoria Beckham since 1999 and they have four children and he has been a UNICEF UK ambassador since 2005, and in 2015 he launched 7, The David Beckham UNICEF Fund. In 2014, MLS announced Beckham and a group of investors would own a team in Miami. Beckham was born at Whipps Cross University Hospital in Leytonstone, London and he is the son of Sandra Georgina, a hairdresser, and David Edward Alan Ted Beckham, a kitchen fitter, who married at the London Borough of Hackney in 1969. He has a sister, Lynne Georgina, and a younger sister. He regularly played football in Ridgeway Park, Chingford, as a child, in a 2007 interview, Beckham said that, At school whenever the teachers asked, What do you want to do when youre older. Id say, I want to be a footballer, and theyd say, No, what do you really want to do, for a job. But that was the only thing I ever wanted to do, Beckhams maternal grandfather was Jewish, and Beckham has referred to himself as half Jewish and wrote in his autobiography Ive probably had more contact with Judaism than with any other religion. In his book Both Feet on the Ground, he stated that growing up he attended every week with his parents

36.
Luke Chadwick
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Luke Harry Chadwick is an English former professional footballer who last played for Soham Town Rangers as a midfielder. He now works as a coach in the Cambridge United academy, Chadwick began his career at Manchester United where he made 25 Premier League appearances in four seasons. While at Old Trafford he spent time out on loan at Reading and he spent a season with the Hammers before joining Stoke City on loan in August 2005 before making the move permanent in January 2006. He remained at Stoke until November 2006 making 55 appearances before joining Norwich City, injuries restricted his time at Carrow Road and he moved to Milton Keynes Dons in October 2008. In March 2014, Chadwick joined Cambridge United, the club he supported as a child and he was released at the end of the 2014/15 season. He scored two goals for Manchester United, one against Bradford in January 2001 and the other against Leeds in March 2001. Chadwick joined West Ham United on a transfer at the beginning of the 2004–05 season. In his season at West Ham he scored once in the league, Chadwick joined Stoke City on loan at the start of the 2005–06 season. He made his Stoke City debut against Sheffield Wednesday on 6 August 2005, chadwicks impressive performances lead to a permanent deal in January 2006 with Stoke paying £100,000 for his services. Chadwicks subsequent performances earned him many fans at Stoke City, chadwicks goal in the F. A Cup Fourth Round against Walsall was voted goal of the round in 2006. The following season did not start off well for Chadwick as in the opening match of the season against Southend United. It was later revealed that he was only dehydrated, on 27 June 2006, Norwich City manager Nigel Worthington confirmed that he was interested in signing Chadwick from Stoke, but Stoke City rejected Norwichs approach for the player. On 13 November 2006, Worthingtons replacement, Peter Grant, signed Chadwick, initially on loan, the proposed fee was £220,000, with an additional £100,000 if Chadwick helps the Canaries gain promotion. Chadwick immediately made an impact at Carrow Road by scoring on his debut against arch rivals Ipswich Town and he was injured in the latter stages of that game, and the injury kept him out for most of the remainder of the season. On 3 January 2007 Chadwick signed a 2 and a deal for Norwich City. His injury problems, however, continued into the season as he struggled for fitness. On 4 October 2008, Chadwick made his Milton Keynes Dons debut in their 4–0 defeat of Millwall after joining the League One club on an initial loan from Norwich City on 1 October 2008. On 18 October 2008, Chadwick scored his first goal for the club and he then scored a brace for the Dons in the 2–1 away victory over Leyton Orient

37.
Phil Neville
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Philip John Phil Neville is an English football coach and former player, who is the co-owner of Salford City. Neville also played for England 59 times between 1996 and 2007, representing the nation at three European Championships. He could play in defence or midfield, due to this versatility, he operated in a number of different positions throughout his career, after earning his UEFA B Coaching Licence, Neville began his coaching career in 2012, filling in for Stuart Pearce with the England under-21s. Neville retained his position under interim manager Ryan Giggs after Moyes was sacked in April 2014, Neville is the younger brother of fellow former Manchester United defender Gary Neville, and the twin brother of England netball international Tracey Neville. His father, Neville Neville, was director of Bury. Born in Bury, Greater Manchester, Neville, along with brother Gary, was one of Fergies Fledglings, Phil attended Elton High School where he was Deputy Head Boy. While at Old Trafford, Neville helped United win six Premier League titles and he was not established as the clubs first-choice left-back until the early 2000s due to the consistency of the much older Denis Irwin. On 4 August 2005, Neville joined Everton on a contract for a fee in excess of £3.5 million. He made his debut in a UEFA Champions League qualifier against Villarreal, the following weekend, Neville made his Premier League debut for the Toffees, against Manchester United. The match marked the first time Phil and brother Gary had played for opposing teams, Nevilles attitude, work-rate and willingness to play anywhere saw him become one of manager David Moyes favourites. On 8 August 2006, Neville was announced as captain to David Weir. In the Manchester United–Everton match on 29 November 2006, Phil, Neville commented in the press about the first ever red cards of his long career, claiming that he would perhaps not have been booked in a game against Fulham if he had been playing for United. However, he finished with more cards than any other Premier League player in 2005–06. Whilst at Manchester United, he was booked many times, such as in the 2002–03 season when he got far more cards than any other United player in history, despite only starting 5 competitive games. Additionally, in September 2003, Neville also received a warning from the FA regarding his conduct for his behaviour after Manchester Uniteds game against Arsenal. Neville scored his first goal for Everton in a 3–0 Premier League victory against Newcastle United on 30 December 2006, on 30 March 2008, Neville was assaulted by a Liverpool fan as he took a throw-in during the 1–0 Merseyside derby Premier League defeat at Anfield. On 24 April, the fan, 48-year-old Michael Blackmore, was banned from all matches in England. He was also banned from Anfield for life by Liverpool Football Club officials, on 19 April 2009, Neville scored his penalty to help knock out his former club, Manchester United, in a penalty shoot-out in the semi-finals of the FA Cup

38.
Thailand national football team
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The Thailand national football team represents Thailand in international mens association football. With five ASEAN Football Championship titles and nine senior-level Southeast Asian Games titles, Thailand also won third place in the 1972 Asian Cup, competed twice in the Summer Olympics and won fourth place twice in the 1990 and 1998 Asian Games. The team was founded in 1915 as the Siam national football team, on 25 April 1916, King Vajiravudh established the Football Association of Siam. The team played its first international match in 1930 against the Indochina national team, both the Siam team and its governing association were renamed in 1949 when Siam became Thailand. Thailand appeared in the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, where they lost to Great Britain by a score of 0–9, in 1965, Thailand won the first place in the Southeast Asian Games for the first time. The team made another appearance at the Summer Olympics in 1968, losing to Bulgaria 0–7, Guatemala 1–4 and this was Thailands latest appearance in the Olympics. Thailand hosted the 1972 AFC Asian Cup and went on to place after defeating Cambodia 5–3 on penalties after a 2–2 draw in the third-place game. Thailand has qualified for the tournament a total of six times, the team won the first of its 13 Kings Cup trophies in 1976, sharing the title with Malaysia after a 1–1 draw in the final match. 1992 featured one of Thailands signature victories, Thailand would later defeat Bangladesh 1–0, winning the group and therefore qualifying for the 1992 AFC Asian Cup. The War Elephants would put on a performance at the tournament, drawing with eventual 3rd place China. In 1994, team manager Thawatchai Sartjakul assembled a team that has been renounced as Dream team with key players Kiatisuk Zico Senamuang, Tawan Sripan, in 1996, Thailand defeated Malaysia 1–0 to win the ASEAN Football Championship for the first time. Thailand were favourites to regain the crown in 2007,2008 and 2012 only to lose tight finals to Singapore, Thailand football team has competed three times in the Asian Games, making the semifinals in 1990,1998 and 2002. The 2007 AFC Asian Cup finals were held from 7 to 29 July 2007, for the first time in its history, the competition was co-hosted by four nations, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. The regional 1998 ASEAN Football Championship tournament was perhaps most infamous in respect to Thailand football history, in what was supposedly a sporting event, the group stage match between Thailand and Indonesia was marred with an unsportsmanlike attempt. At the time teams had already qualified for semi-finals, but with knowledge that winners would have to face hosts Vietnam. There was also technical incentive that facing Vietnam would mean moving training bases from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi – which none of the teams wished to do, the first half saw very little action as both teams barely making attempt to score. During the second half both teams managed to score, partly thanks to half-hearted defending, resulting in a 2–2 tie after 90 minutes. However the real infamy didnt take place until extra time, in which an Indonesian defender deliberately kicked the ball into his own goal with a Thai attacker running towards the ball, FIFA fined both teams $40,000 for violating the spirit of the game

39.
Wrexham A.F.C.
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Wrexham Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wrexham, Wales. Based on the clubs recorded formation date of 1864, they are the oldest club in Wales, since August 2011 Wrexham have been a supporter-owned football club. As of May 2015, the club has 4,129 adult members, Wrexham are perhaps most notable for an FA Cup upset over reigning English Champions Arsenal in 1992 and a 1–0 victory over FC Porto in 1984 in the European Cup Winners Cup. Wrexhams home stadium, the Racecourse Ground, is the worlds oldest international stadium that still continues to host international games, the record attendance at the ground was set in 1957, when Wrexham hosted a match against Manchester United in front of 36,445 spectators. Their first game was played on 22 October 1864 at the Denbigh County Cricket Ground against the Prince of Wales Fire Brigade, as the rules of football were still somewhat fluid at the time, early matches featured teams with up to 17 players on each side. In these early years Wrexham were leaders of the campaign to restrict teams to having just 11 players on the pitch at any one time. C, in the 1877–78 season the FAW inaugurated the Welsh Cup competition, to run on similar lines to the English FA Cup. The first Welsh Cup Final was played at Acton Park, Wrexham got to the final of the inaugural competition, where they defeated Druids F. C. 1–0, with James Davies being credited with the goal. Because of a lack of money at the fledgling FAW, Wrexham did not receive their trophy until the next year. 1883 also saw Wrexhams first appearance in the FA Cup, when receiving a bye to the second round of the competition they were defeated 3–4 at home by Oswestry. Crowd trouble at the game led to the club being expelled from the Football Association, Olympic was dropped from this clubs name in 1888. In 1890 Wrexham joined The Combination league, playing their first game against Gorton Villa on 6 September 1890, Lea played for the club despite only having one arm as did playing colleague James Roberts. Wrexham finished the second from bottom in eighth place in the first season. Wrexham played in the Combination for four years before an increase in costs resulted in the club joining the Welsh League in the 1894–95 season. The club then remained in the Combination league until 1905, by time they had managed to win the league four times. After several unsuccessful attempts Wrexham were finally elected to the Birmingham, Wrexhams first ever match in this league was at home against Kidderminster Harriers at the Racecourse, and two thousand spectators witnessed Wrexham win the match 2–1. Wrexham finished sixth in their first season in this league, during their time in the Birmingham and District League, Wrexham won the Welsh Cup six times, in 1908–09, 1909–10, 1910–11, 1913–14, 1914–15, and 1920–21. They also reached the First Round proper of the FA Cup for a time in the 1908–09 season before losing a replay 1–2 to Exeter City after extra time. In 1921 Wrexham were elected to the newly formed Third Division North of the Football League and their first League game was against Hartlepool United at the Racecourse in front of 8,000 spectators

40.
Hereford United F.C.
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Hereford United Football Club was an English association football club based in the city of Hereford that last played in the Southern League Premier Division, the seventh tier of English football. Founded in 1924, the club was elected to the Football League in 1972, the club reached the old Second Division in 1976, its best league performance, but was relegated after only one season at that level. Hereford achieved national prominence in 1972 when, as a Southern League club, Hereford played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed The Whites or The Lilywhites, after their predominantly white kit, the clubs motto was Our greatest glory lies not in never having fallen, but in rising when we fall. The club was affiliated to the Herefordshire County FA, on 19 December 2014, the club was wound up in the High Court after a petition had been brought against it by HM Revenue and Customs. Following the demise of United, a new club was being set up. The new club incorporates the words Forever United into its crest design, for league and cup performance, see List of Hereford United F. C. seasons. Hereford United Football Club was founded in 1924 with the merger of two local clubs St Martins and RAOC, with the intention of sustaining a higher class of football in the city of Hereford, Hereford joined the Birmingham Combination and lost its first match 2–3 to Atherstone United. The clubs second match was an FA Cup Preliminary Round tie against future rivals Kidderminster Harriers which they lost 2–7. Hereford progressed to the Birmingham & District League in 1928 where the club spent 11 seasons, at the same time the club became a limited company. When football resumed after the war, Hereford finished 1st in their first full season in the only to be demoted to 2nd behind Chelmsford City. In 27 seasons in the Southern League, Hereford finished as runners-up three times, and also lifted the Southern League Cup three times, when the league was regionalised for one season in 1958–59, Hereford also won their regional division to add to their third League Cup win. In 1966 Hereford signed John Charles, the former Leeds United, Juventus and Welsh international and he became manager a year later and set about building a team to challenge at the top of the Southern League and gain election to the Football League. With the club becoming one of the best-supported non-league clubs in the country Charles used his standing within the game to canvass votes from member clubs for election to the Football League. The 1971–1972 season saw the club second in the Southern League. Charles had departed the club in October 1971 and his successor Colin Addison inherited a side that defeated top-flight Newcastle United in the FA Cup. The star player was Dudley Tyler, Ronnie Radford and Ricky Georges goals earned the club a Fourth Round tie against West Ham United where they were defeated in a replay at Upton Park. The Cup run played a part in the successful election to the Fourth Division